Discharge outlet for hopper



A. E. ZIMMER DISCHARGE OUTLET FOR HOPPER 6 Sheets-Sheet l www March 2o, 1956 Filed April ze, 1952 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. ZUR/nef;

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DISCHARGE OUTLET FOR HOPPER Filed April 26, 1952 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 IN VEN TOR.

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zNigENToR. Ze/' Znae/f M MW United States Patent() DISCHARGE OUTLET FOR HOPPER Albert E. Zimmer, Chicago, lll., assignor to Enterprise Railway Equipment Company,'Chicago, Ill., a corpo ration of Illinois Application April 26, 1952, Serial No. 284,631

1 Claim. (Cl. 10S-282) 'Ihis invention relates to an improved discharge outlet for a hopper such as employed in connection with the load containing hopper of a railway car and the like in the transportation of nely comminuted lading.

The objects of the invention, among others, are: To provide an improved sealing condition around the marginal edges of a sliding gate to prevent the escape of lading or the entrance of moisture or iine dust; to provide for the accommodation of resilient gaskets at the margins of a discharge opening and particularly to provide a frame having open sided grooves suitable for receiving and holding the gaskets and allowing for convenient insertion and removal of the gaskets; and more specifically to provide a four sided frame construction having a gasket at the rice walls 105, 106, 107 and 108 which overlie the hopper walls and are secured thereto. The frame 104 below the upper attaching section is formed with a chute like four-sided structure including walls of appreciable depth as indicated at 109, 110, 111 and 112, said walls 109 and 110 extending lengthwise and having horizontally two side edges and front edge of the door in combination with a transversely extending gasket engaging the upper surface of the gate at the fourth side of the opening.

The invention further resides in certain details of construction such as will be hereinafter pointed out.

For further comprehension of the invention reference may be had to the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. l is a side elevational view of an outlet assembly incorporating this invention with the shaft operating head broken away.

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the structure shown in Figure l with the hopper walls omitted and certain parts of the trarne cut away to better illustrate details of the construction.

Figure 3 is a vertical end view of the structure shown in Figure 1 as seen on a line 3-3.

Figure 4 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view taken on a line 4-4 of Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a vertical transverse sectional view taken on a line 5-5 of Figure 2.

Figure 6 is a fractional end view of the outlet shown in Figure 3, showing parts of the structure broken away to better illustrate the sealing gaskets.

Figure 7 is a horizontal sectional view taken through the outlet frame on a line corresponding to a line 7-7 of Figure 5 showing the gasket positioned on three sides of the frame.

Figure 8 is a detailed top plan view of the sliding gate.

Figure 9 is a side elevational view of the gate shown in Figure 8.

Figure l0 is a plan view of the frame.

Figure l1 is a vertical side elevational view of the frame.

Figure 12 is a vertical sectional view on an enlarged scale taken on a line 12-12 of Figure 10.

Figure 13 is a vertical sectional view on an enlarged scale taken on a line 13-13 of Figure 10.

In said drawings the outlet assembly is shown as applied to a four-sided hopper including longitudinally ex tending side walls 100 and 101 which meet with transversely extending sloping walls 102 and 103 to form the hopper. Surrounding the lowerportions of the hopper walls is an outlet frame 104 which includes attaching disposed runways 113 which form supports for a sliding gate 114 adjacent thereto.

Extending transversely between the side runways 113 and in alignment therewith is a ledge 118, Figure 4, on which the forward end of the gate 114 is adapted to rest when in closed position. The gate 114 extends through a slotted opening 119 which is detned in part by the lower margin of end wall 108 and the upper surface 120 of a ledge 121 which projects from the transverse end wall 112 of the chute.

Extending around three sides of the opening adjacent the end edge 118 and side ledges 113-113, as shown in Figures 4 and 5, is an open sided groove 122 for receiving a circularly shaped resilient gasket 123. The groove 122 is preferably of generally circular shape with an open side presenting an opening 124 of lesser width than the full diameter of the groove 122 thus ensuring the retention of the resilient gasket 123 in place, it being understood that the gasket 123 is sufficiently resilient to permit of sufficient distortion to allow its insertion through the restricted gap 124. The gasket 123 is preferably formed of a section of commercial air hose to extend in one piece along the two sides and the end of the outlet frame 104 and bent on a generous curve at the corners as indicated at 125 in Figure 2. The side sections 126-126 of the gasket 123 are preferably disposed in diverging relation from the central end section as indicated at 127 and the sides of the gate 114 are correspondingly inclined to provide a tight wedging engagement between the gasket 123 and the gate 114 as the latter is moved to closed position.

A transversely disposed gasket 128, Figure 4, extends from side to side of the frame 104 adjacent the slotted end of the latter. To receive and hold the gasket 128 there is provided a circularly shaped groove 129 with a restricted opening 130 at one side. The groove 129 is disposed beneath the sloping end wall 108 and adjacent the sides of the gate 114 it is deected downwardly at an incline to conform to the sloping sides of the sliding gate which are beveled along their side edges as indicated at 131 in Figure 6.

Tight wedging engagement between the gate 114 and the transversely disposed gasket 128 is eiected by reason of an inclined face 132, Figure 2, wedgingly engaging with the circular face of the gasket 128 and compressing the same. The inclined wedging face 132 is provided by a bevel formed on the corner of a transversely extending ridge 133 on the gate. In order to prevent leakage at the junction of the side sections 126 of the gasket 123 the gate 114 is formed with a Tshaped head 134, Figure 8, which extends laterally into the plane of these side sections and the inclined face 132 is likewise extended along with the downwardly inclined ends of the transversely extending gasket 128.

The gate 114 is moved lengthwise by means of shaft and pinion means indicated at 135 and 136, the latter meshing with rack teeth 137 formed on the underside of the gate 114. The shaft 135 is provided with an operating head 138 having sockets 139 for receiving a removable operating bar. The head 138 is provided with a lug 140, Figure 1, with which a locking cam 141 cooperates to lock the shaft 135 against reverse rotation. The cam 141 is maintained in latched position by a sealing pin 142.

The frame 104 is provided at each side with longitudinally disposed extensions 143 to which are secured rail extensions for supporting the gate 114 when in opened position..

What is claimed as new is:

In a four-sided load containing hopper having a discharge opening and a sliding gate extending beneath one of said sides to enter the opening and for closing the latter, saidl gate having the side edges converging inwardly towardsveach other from the entering end of the opening toprovide a wedge shapedgate and correspondingly disposed converging surfaces on the hopper, longitudinally and transversely extending gasket means having a circular cross section carried by the hopper for engagement with the. front and side edges of the gate when the latter' is in closed position, and' gasket means having a circularcross section extendingl transversely tothe direction of: movement of the gate and lying beneath the entering side of' the hopper and generally above the level of thev lrst` mentionedr gasket means, to engage with the rear portion of the gate, saidy transversely' extendingV gasket' means and cooperating engaging surface of the gatey being deected downwardly adjacent eachside of thegate'V to extend'l in a plane coincidental with the plane of the longitudinally disposedy gasketV means, said hopper being provided with generally circular grooves for receiving said gasket means having openings therealong through which the respective cooperating surfaces of the gate can engage said gasket means, said openings being of lesser width than the diameter of the grooves to retain said gasket means in place.

References Cited in the lilevof this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 502,584 Rettig Aug. 1, 1'8'93 6435.023 Wood et al. Feb. 6, 1900 1,658,282 Bray Feb. 7, 1928 1,795,016 Faber Mar. 3, 1931 2,020,880 Dietrichson Nov. 12, 1935 2,288,558 Vose June 30, 1942 2,646,006 Dorey July 21, 1953 '2,646,007 Dorey July 21, 1953 

